Top 20 Darkest Moments On Family Guy

“Herpe the Love Sore”

There are disgusting episodes, and then there’s “Herpe the Love Sore.” A very dark and nasty piece of work, it concerns Stewie contracting herpes from Brian after the two become “blood brothers.” The story alone is quite disturbing, but what makes the whole situation worse are the revolting visuals that accompany it. Stewie has a graphic sore on his face throughout much of the episode, and at one point we’re treated to the gag-inducing sight of future Stewie’s pus-leaking sores. Gross-out humor has its place, but this whole storyline has a very unpleasant atmosphere about it.

“Road to the Multiverse”

Assassinations are obviously a very sensitive subject, and joking about them requires toeing a very fine line. “Family Guy” may have crossed that line here. “Road to the Multiverse” features a particular joke that sees Mayor McCheese standing in for JFK. Like Kennedy, McCheese is shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald. We are then treated to a very perturbing visual, as Jackie Kennedy climbs out of the car and eats pieces of McCheese’s head. Yes, the joke is that he is an actual hamburger, but it’s playing on a very real tragedy and the unforgettably brutal footage that accompanied it. For some, the darkness may outweigh the humor. At least the show acknowledged its own bad taste!

“Tiegs for Two”

And speaking of the show acknowledging its own bad taste, let’s talk about Michael J. Fox! In a rather brilliant but upsetting gag, Peter sets up a cutaway involving Fox before speaking to the camera and informing viewers that they won’t be showing the bit. Of course, this is the bit, with Peter explaining the cutaway and then showing a check with illegible scribbles. Just to rub salt in the wound, they then show the cutaway anyway, with Fox spilling red wine on Peter’s shirt. Like some of the other jokes, this one is rather distasteful, as making fun of things like disease can be taboo and insensitive.

“Brian Griffin's House of Payne”

Season 8 is widely considered to be one of the show’s worst, with many fans singling out the darker tone and increased use of explicit violence. That’s on full display in “Brian Griffin's House of Payne”. Stewie is accidentally knocked down the stairs and gets a massive gash in his head that knocks him into a comatose state. He then spends the rest of the episode unconscious and with an incredibly vivid and rotting head wound. It even draws the attention of a raccoon. Even by “Family Guy” standards, this subplot was wickedly unpleasant.

“Play It Again, Brian”

As we now know, “Family Guy” isn’t afraid to joke about things like assassinations and Parkinson’s. Well, we can now add cancer to the list. A couple displays great enthusiasm at the man’s new bandana, and they share a very brief moment of happiness before reality comes crashing back down with a grim reminder. Many people don’t like making light of cancer, especially highly advanced forms. That seems to be the case with this poor man, and while the show wants to make us laugh, we, on the other hand, just feel bad for the guy.

“Turban Cowboy”

Let’s just take a moment to acknowledge that Peter is a mass killer. Not just in this episode, but like, in general. In one his coldest moments, he “participates” in the Boston Marathon by driving his car to the finish line. Unfortunately, this means running over and presumably killing dozens of runners. It’s an unbelievably grisly joke at the best of times, but this episode aired less than a month before the attacks at the Boston Marathon in 2013. The tragic connection resulted in the episode being pulled from various services, including Hulu and Amazon. There are dark jokes, and then there’s watching the protagonist happily commit a massacre.

“If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin'”

“Family Guy” likes pushing buttons, and that often comes at the expense of real people. And it arguably doesn’t get much darker than the Holocaust. Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who hid from Nazis in the occupied Netherlands. Her family remained hidden for years before they were captured on August 4, 1944. Frank was subsequently taken to a concentration camp and died in custody. We still don’t know how they were found, but “Family Guy” suggests it was because of Peter. He is shown hiding with the Franks and loudly eating potato chips, which attracts the attention of the Nazis. Few shows would approach the Holocaust and the murder of a family with such vigor, but that’s what helps “Family Guy” stand out from the pack.

“The Tan Aquatic with Steve Zissou”

In this episode, Peter develops a fondness for tormenting his friends and family. The entire storyline is rather disturbing, as he uses Joe as a string puppet and pours boiling water on Lois. But it all starts with the horrific treatment of Kyle. Kyle has been pushing around Chris, literally, and Peter decides to confront him. After some goading that clearly hits a nerve, Peter sees red and physically squares up to his son’s tormenter. It’s a very difficult scene to watch. The subject matter alone is rather unsettling, but the visuals and sound effects really add to its distressing nature. At least Peter realizes that he’s done wrong, as he runs home in a clear panic.

“McStroke”

Now, “Family Guy” is going after stroke victims. Peter eats dozens of hamburgers and suffers a huge stroke that leaves half of his body paralyzed. Viewers are then treated to a rather graphic depiction of stroke symptoms. Half of Peter’s face droops heavily, his speech is severely affected, and he clearly struggles to walk as he drags his paralyzed leg behind him. At one point he even slams his arm in the car door and fails to realize it. For some, these scenes may prove highly offensive, as they are asking us to laugh at the severe symptoms of a medical emergency.

“Send in Stewie, Please”

This is a very unique episode of “Family Guy,” featuring limited commercial breaks, an extended runtime, no cutaways, and the presence of Sir Ian McKellen. He plays Dr. Cecil Pritchfield, a child psychologist who attempts to dig through Stewie’s psyche. He eventually breaks through the façade, but begins to suffer from a heart attack. He asks Stewie to get his medication, but the baby is unwilling to help, as the psychologist knows his deepest secrets. Stewie sees an opportunity and watches Cecil die, although he later feels extreme guilt. This episode may have all been a dream, but it may also have been a memory. Either way, Stewie did a bad thing and he is well aware of it.

Various

Not many shows regularly feature a character as open about crimes as bad as this... Herbert is the Griffins’ neighbor, and he's got a thing for boys – including Chris. The creepo made his debut in “To Love and Die in Dixie” by inviting Chris to perform a very inappropriate act... and he hasn't gotten any more pleasant from there. Herbert loves to watch Chris eat hot dogs, spies on him through the window, and attempts to catch children in a butterfly net. At one point, he even asks Brian for an ice cream truck. Super creepy.

“Hot Shots”

In this episode from season fifteen, Peter and Lois misguidedly become vehement anti-vaxxers. As if that’s not dark enough, Peter mentions that he destroyed the entire town’s supply of vaccines, and the scene then cuts to a parody of “The Dark Knight.” Peter is dressed as the Joker and walking away from an exploding hospital, with who knows how many people dying in the process. Once again, Peter is presumably committing mass murder, this time in an act of domestic terrorism. If that wasn’t dark enough, he then makes a comment about going home and “overdosing in [his] apartment,” which references the death of Joker actor Heath Ledger. It’s a rather vicious one-two punch that may leave some jaws on the floor.

“The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire”

Shocking “Family Guy” musical numbers are nothing new – they have been going strong since Season 4. In the fourth season episode, The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire, Peter is seen with a barbershop quartet giving a man his AIDS diagnosis through song and dance. The crew admitted that the joke was meant to be tasteless in the DVD commentary, and their intentions were realized, as several AIDS organizations protested the song and its content. “Family Guy” goes to dark places, and cheerfully singing about a deadly pandemic and jokingly calling it “full-blown AIDS” is undoubtedly one of its darkest moments.

“Chick Cancer”

We know Stewie is psychotic, but we didn’t think he would ever go this far. In the episode “Chick Cancer”, Stewie reunites with his old musical pal Olivia Fuller when she returns to Quahog. However, Stewie later finds Olivia playing with her friend Victor, and feeling betrayed, he sets the playhouse on fire with Olivia and Victor inside. This obviously isn’t meant to be taken seriously, but watching them be set on fire makes for some incredibly difficult viewing. While Olivia would return in Season 15, viewers went 10 years with no reason to think Stewie wasn't a murderer.

“Life of Brian”

Unlike its animated peers, “Family Guy” isn’t known for packing dramatic punches, but Brian’s death certainly got the tears flowing. In “Life of Brian”, Brian is run over by a car. His injuries are horrific and sad enough, but then the Griffins learn that they’ll have to put him down. Brian says a touching farewell before passing away. While Stewie would eventually save his pal with the power of time travel, his initial death was both terribly sad and painfully dark, especially for those who have gone through similar situations with their beloved pets.

“Jerome Is the New Black” & “Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q”

“Family Guy” often covers touchy and dramatic subjects, but it usually does it with surrealism and/or tongue-in-cheek humor. Not so with Brenda’s violent boyfriend, Jeff. In the episode “Jerome Is the New Black”, Quagmire is sheltering his sister from the abuse when Jeff shows up with a baseball bat. Their story is given significant attention in the episode “Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q”, as the Griffins and Quagmire attempt to save the submissive and defensive Brenda from her relationship. It’s all taken unusually seriously, and their story can be a little too realistic and upsetting for some to handle.

“Road to the North Pole”

Well, so much for holiday cheer. In the Christmas special “Road to the North Pole”, Stewie and Brian take on the role of Santa, when the real Santa is too sick and exhausted. But their first stop proves to be disastrous. Stewie attacks the father with a baseball bat, he and Brian physically attack the mother after she discovers his body and they tie up their daughter with duct tape. It’s unclear if the two survived, but judging by the spilled blood, we’re going to say “no”. It’s a horribly gruesome scene that perfectly highlights the show's penchant for shock value and excessive violence.

“Brian & Stewie”

The episode “Brian & Stewie” is a bit of an enigma. Not only is it light on the jokes, but it also features just those characters while tackling some extremely heavy subject matter, like finding out that Brian’s contemplated taking his own life. Given that Brian is a staunch supporter of gun control, Stewie naturally asks him why he has a gun in his safety deposit box. Brian then reluctantly reveals that he is unhappy and finds comfort in the fact that he has a way out. While Peter has also broached the topic, Brian’s scene is taken much more seriously and is one of the show’s most upsetting and dramatic sequences.

“The Juice Is Loose”

The episode “The Juice Is Loose" contains what is arguably the darkest cutaway in the show’s history, and that is saying something. After Lois reminds Peter of what he did the last time he was alone with the children, the episode cuts to Peter Jr.’s grave. Peter explains he thought shaking Peter Jr. would stop him from crying, and then, in true “Family Guy” fashion, adds that he was kind of right. Only “Family Guy” can make a joke out of something like that and have it work, but even then, it's hard not to say they went too far.

“Movin’ Out (Brian’s Song)”

They might be rivals, but this is just way too much. In the episode “Movin’ Out (Brian’s Song)”, a fake promotion for “The Simpsons” appears on screen, and things turn horrific when Quagmire appears and he forces himself on Marge offscreen. Problematically, Marge ends up liking it and she takes him home. When Homer walks in, Quagmire shoots the entire family. Unsurprisingly, Fox said “no way” and pulled the joke from the air. They later told the producers of both shows that they could no longer attack each other. The gag was eventually reinstated for the DVD release for all to watch in disbelief and disgust.